Tracking tool puts PNNL atop business tech list

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory was ranked 43rd in the prestigious InformationWeek 500 list. This is the fourth year in a row the magazine has recognized PNNL.

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RICHLAND, Wash. –
A software tool that tracks hazardous chemical, biological and radiological materials used in scientific research throughout their lifecycle, as well as general property, has earned Pacific Northwest National Laboratory a spot high on the prestigious InformationWeek 500 list of most innovative users of business information technology.

The Department of Energy laboratory was ranked 43rd in the annual list, which was released today by the technology magazine InformationWeek. This is the fourth year in a row the magazine has recognized PNNL, and the 43rd spot is the highest of those rankings.

PNNL was recognized for its Asset Screening Information and Stewardship Tracking tool, or ASIST, which was developed to aid with the move out of 700,000 square feet of Cold War era laboratory and office space into seven new and two remodeled buildings. ASIST is expected to save PNNL more than $11 million over five years.

"ASIST is helping us reduce moving and operating costs as well as comply with safety and environmental regulations," said PNNL CIO Jerry Johnson. "It's a tracking system that allows hazardous materials stewards to screen and track, in real time, chemicals, biological agents radioactive materials and property and then make informed decisions about continued retention of the assets based on need and the capacity for the laboratory to afford the lifecycle cost of the asset," he added.

Interdisciplinary teams at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory address many of America's most pressing issues in energy, the environment and national security through advances in basic and applied science. Founded in 1965, PNNL employs 4,300 staff and has an annual budget of more than $1 billion. It is managed by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. As the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, the Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information on PNNL, visit the PNNL News Center, or follow PNNL on Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and Twitter.